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Nov 6, 2013
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ms. collins: thank you, madam president. i again want to commend the senator from new hampshire, senator ayotte, for her excellent work on this amendment. as i indicated earlier, i think the portman-ayotte amendment, which is cosponsored by several other colleagues as well, it provides a very important protection against retaliation for those religious organizations that are legitimately exempted under enda. i also salute them for broadening the purposes section of the bill to recognize not only the need to address the widespread pattern of discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation, but also they've added a new subsection to recognize that another purpose is to help strengthen civil society and preserve institutional pluralism by providing reasonable accommodations for religious freedom. and i think both those changes strengthen the bill and i want to commend the senator for her leadership on this issue. thank you, madam president. ms. collins: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collin
ms. collins: thank you, madam president. i again want to commend the senator from new hampshire, senator ayotte, for her excellent work on this amendment. as i indicated earlier, i think the portman-ayotte amendment, which is cosponsored by several other colleagues as well, it provides a very important protection against retaliation for those religious organizations that are legitimately exempted under enda. i also salute them for broadening the purposes section of the bill to recognize not...
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Jul 21, 2013
07/13
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i assumed i knew ms. collins but if she was that prominent i must have known her. it's true that you can grant the floor two particular individuals or a southern number of individuals on a certainty subject if that's appropriate. what you can't do is open the microphone to everyone who wants to speak and express one point of view and not another. someone who was intelligent and sensitive would made it specific about who feels granted the floor. you can't turn around and be urban intelligent and insensitive and then blame it on the citizens >> to let someone talk in in front of the the microphone is not okay. it's sensitive to me because the library rikdz my comments based on content and point of view all the mind. when i started i was young and poor. i got mid age class and got one suit from goodwill and, of course, they couldn't treat me any better because their bias >> know you not that the unrighteous shall not be hefrpt the kingdom of heaven. nor drunks should inherit the kingdom of god. your set apart from your sin your righteous based on the life of jesus chr
i assumed i knew ms. collins but if she was that prominent i must have known her. it's true that you can grant the floor two particular individuals or a southern number of individuals on a certainty subject if that's appropriate. what you can't do is open the microphone to everyone who wants to speak and express one point of view and not another. someone who was intelligent and sensitive would made it specific about who feels granted the floor. you can't turn around and be urban intelligent and...
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Jul 17, 2013
07/13
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and i know that if that's the case that ms. collins will join the greats and see what we do. i know i'll be thinking about her anytime we as a board and supervisor has to vote on something that involves social justice and protecting the rights of people that involves the rights of people who get the equal opportunity in this society. anytime there's someone who has needed that's not being met and anytime this board is asked to vote and support that group i will be thinking of ms. collins and i know she'll be loaning down on us to make sure we do the right thing so rest in peace >> thank you supervisor campos supervisor wiener. >> i won't preep what's been said about her tremendous involvement in the community. but i want to just note that i think what distinguished her in a lot of ways is the incredible respect for which she treated other people. there's sometimes a tendency in politics to demon i see people probably too frequently here in san francisco. but then there are some people in politics and she's definitely among this group who are authentic in their fight but who a
and i know that if that's the case that ms. collins will join the greats and see what we do. i know i'll be thinking about her anytime we as a board and supervisor has to vote on something that involves social justice and protecting the rights of people that involves the rights of people who get the equal opportunity in this society. anytime there's someone who has needed that's not being met and anytime this board is asked to vote and support that group i will be thinking of ms. collins and i...
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ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senior senator from maine is recognized. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i just want to rise to thank the senator from alaska for her powerful endorsement of this bill. she is a member of the help committee and along with senator mark kirk and orrin hatch, she led the republican support for this bill when it was being considered by the help committee. i believe that the senator from alaska did an extraordinary job of outlining why this bill should pass, why it must pass. it is a matter of fairness, and it is a matter of demonstrating that there is simply no place in the workplace for discrimination. it is significant, mr. president, that most of our large businesses and many of our smaller ones have voluntarily adopted antidiscrimination policies. they have done so because they want to attract and to retain the best, brightest employees that they can find. they know that sexual orientation and gender identity are irrelevant to an individual's ability to do a good job. what counts are qualifications, skills,
ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senior senator from maine is recognized. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i just want to rise to thank the senator from alaska for her powerful endorsement of this bill. she is a member of the help committee and along with senator mark kirk and orrin hatch, she led the republican support for this bill when it was being considered by the help committee. i believe that the senator from alaska did an extraordinary job of...
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May 22, 2013
05/13
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ms. collins: thank you, madam president. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. udall: could i ask unanimous consent that the senator from maine be recognized for 4 minutes? the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: thank you, madam president. i understand that senator baldwin is on the way to make her maiden speech, and i promise that i will stop talking the moment that she enters the chamber. and i thank my colleague from colorado. madam president, later today the senate will vote on a resolution that has been introduced by senators menendez and graham. and i'm very pleased to join my senate colleagues in cosponsoring this resolution which reaffirms our commitment to a strong u.s.-israeli relationship and to preventing iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. at this time in our history, it is more important than ever before that we demonstrate a firm commitment to our allies, even if the neighborhood in which they exist appears to be more of a tinder box than it has been
ms. collins: thank you, madam president. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. udall: could i ask unanimous consent that the senator from maine be recognized for 4 minutes? the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: thank you, madam president. i understand that senator baldwin is on the way to make her maiden speech, and i promise that i will stop talking the moment that she enters the chamber. and i thank my colleague from colorado. madam...
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ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. tomorrow we will take a vote on senator toomey's amendment and on cloture and final passage. there may not be time as we're wrapping up the work on this bill for me to pay tribute to some very valuable individuals who worked very hard on this bill, and that is the members of the staff on both sides. and i want to particularly commend three members of my staff: john kaine, katie brown, and betsy mcdonald who have literally worked night and day to try to work out amendments, procedure, to work with a wide variety of staff on both sides of the aisle. our staff are often the unsung heroes of this institution. and in this case, i was receiving e-mails from my staff last night at 1:46 a.m., giving me the latest. and i just want to publicly thank them and the floor staff on both sides and the help committee staff, everyone who was involved, but particularly the three members of my staff: john, katie and betsy who literally have devoted countless hours to this bill. and i know they will be ve
ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. tomorrow we will take a vote on senator toomey's amendment and on cloture and final passage. there may not be time as we're wrapping up the work on this bill for me to pay tribute to some very valuable individuals who worked very hard on this bill, and that is the members of the staff on both sides. and i want to particularly commend three members of my staff: john kaine, katie brown, and betsy mcdonald who have literally worked night and day to try to...
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Jul 25, 2013
07/13
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ms. collins: thank you, madam president. i'd ask unanimous consent that proceedings under the call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: thank you, madam president. madam president, later this afternoon, senator toomey will be offering a motion to recommit the transportation-h.u.d. appropriations bill back to the appropriations committee. while i commend senator toomey's goal of ensuring that the fiscal year 2014 spending levels comply with the budget control act spending caps, i do not believe that this is the right approach. now, let me be clear. i voted in the appropriations committee, as did every republican member of that committee, for a top-line level of $960 billion. that is the amount that is in the budget control act. that is law. but this is the very first appropriations bill that has been brought to the senate floor. we have no idea where we are going to be at the end of the process. the two leaders of the appropriations committee have called for regular order and i commend the
ms. collins: thank you, madam president. i'd ask unanimous consent that proceedings under the call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: thank you, madam president. madam president, later this afternoon, senator toomey will be offering a motion to recommit the transportation-h.u.d. appropriations bill back to the appropriations committee. while i commend senator toomey's goal of ensuring that the fiscal year 2014 spending levels comply with the budget control...
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Jul 16, 2013
07/13
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sir, this is not public comment this is comment around your colleague ms. collins. >> i feel like i know her now (inaudible) i'm sure exactly i have (inaudible) when we first get to chapter 6 it talks about things like this it says (inaudibl (inaudible). >> excuse me. sir. excuse me. sir, we're speaking individuals are speaking on behalf of many collins so your respect to that and by the way, the board has granted principle to the folks on the floor and given your comments if you could save those comments for general comment. we have granted the principle of floor to certainty individuals who wish to speak in america of many collins so if you could please respected that we'll have public comments in a little awhile >> thank you you'll have an opportunity to speak later. >> thank you. >> i'm bruce a friend. i did my comments. i had to write the obituary. she was a wonder woman to a cave man like me. we were - i loved this woman. i was there when she transmissions from male a female it took me a week to digest. i >> i just want to thank the family and friends
sir, this is not public comment this is comment around your colleague ms. collins. >> i feel like i know her now (inaudible) i'm sure exactly i have (inaudible) when we first get to chapter 6 it talks about things like this it says (inaudibl (inaudible). >> excuse me. sir. excuse me. sir, we're speaking individuals are speaking on behalf of many collins so your respect to that and by the way, the board has granted principle to the folks on the floor and given your comments if you...
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Jul 16, 2013
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erick and on behalf of the supervisor kim and avalos for the late ms. collins >> madam clerk any more business in front of the body. >> that concludes our agenda and a ladies and gentlem - ladi that concludes our agenda we're >> i want to learn more about it. >> social networking and e-mail. >> i want to know how to use it. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> divisional divide is a divide between those with access to use digital tools and those who don't. >> with young people, having computers and i just don't know. they're doing it fast. so, i want to know. >> not knowing how to navigate the internet or at a loss of what to do. >> we don't have a computer. >> we're a nonprofit that unites organizations and volunteers to transform lies through literacy. our big problem right now is the broadband opportunity program. a federally funded project through the department of aging. so, we're working in 26 locations. our volunteers are trained to be tutors and trainers, offering everything from basic classes all the way to genealogy and job search. >> to me computers, knowing how t
erick and on behalf of the supervisor kim and avalos for the late ms. collins >> madam clerk any more business in front of the body. >> that concludes our agenda and a ladies and gentlem - ladi that concludes our agenda we're >> i want to learn more about it. >> social networking and e-mail. >> i want to know how to use it. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> divisional divide is a divide between those with access to use digital tools and those who don't. >> with young...
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Jul 24, 2013
07/13
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ms. mikulski: well said. ms. collins: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: madam president, we've had a good discussion about how to proceed with this bill. the chairman of the full committee has been extremely constructive in exercising her leadership. she very much wants a new approach, and i really commend her for bringing bills individually to the senate floor. what we are going to propose and through the chair i would like to engage in a colloquy with the chairman of the full committee is that as usual, we would go back and forth one side and then the other in considering amendments but that we would allow senator coburn to file a series of amendments at this point. they're already filed. to call them up and make them pending with the understanding that we would set aside individual amendments so that we could keep going back and forth and so that other colleagues on the republican side that have amendments would not be shut out but rather would be accommodated as well. is that the understandin
ms. mikulski: well said. ms. collins: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: madam president, we've had a good discussion about how to proceed with this bill. the chairman of the full committee has been extremely constructive in exercising her leadership. she very much wants a new approach, and i really commend her for bringing bills individually to the senate floor. what we are going to propose and through the chair i would like to engage in a colloquy...
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erick and on behalf of the supervisor kim and avalos for the late ms. collins >> madam clerk any more business in front of the body. >> that concludes our agenda and a ladies and gentlem - ladi that concludes our agenda we're >> a lot a ton with the community and we say to ourselves, there is this one and this one. we all compartmentalize them, we have our own agenda. our agenda is to create great work. if you are interested in that, you are part of our community. >> hello and welcome to brava theater. >> trying to figure out a way to make a space where theater and presentation of live work is something that you think of the same way that you think of going to the movies. of course, it has been complex in terms of economics, as it is for everyone now. artistically, we have done over 35 projects in four seasons, from producing dance, theater, presenting music, having a full- scale education program, and having more than 50,000 visitors in the building almost every year. a lot of our emerging artists to generate their first projects here, which is great.
erick and on behalf of the supervisor kim and avalos for the late ms. collins >> madam clerk any more business in front of the body. >> that concludes our agenda and a ladies and gentlem - ladi that concludes our agenda we're >> a lot a ton with the community and we say to ourselves, there is this one and this one. we all compartmentalize them, we have our own agenda. our agenda is to create great work. if you are interested in that, you are part of our community. >>...
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Sep 11, 2013
09/13
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ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from mest. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. first, i want to congratulate the bill's sponsors, senators shaheen and portman, for crafting the underlying bipartisan, commonsense energy efficiency bill. i'm proud to be a cosponsor of their legislation, and i'm pleased to see that the bill is being considered and look forward to the debate on energy efficiency. i would hope that, as we consider amendments to this bill, that we could consider amendments that relate to the issue of energy so that we can make real progress and that we don't end up, as happened before the recess when i was managing a bill on the transportation and housing appropriations for the minority side, that we became distracted on two issues that had nothing to do with the underlying bill, important though it was. so i'm very pleased to join my colleague, the distinguished senator from colorado, mr. udall, in sponsoring an amendment to help streamline the available f
ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from mest. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. first, i want to congratulate the bill's sponsors, senators shaheen and portman, for crafting the underlying bipartisan, commonsense energy efficiency bill. i'm proud to be a cosponsor of their legislation, and i'm pleased to see that the bill is being considered and look forward to the debate on energy efficiency. i would hope that, as we consider amendments to this bill, that we...
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Nov 20, 2013
11/13
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ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. first, i want to commend the senior senator from maryland, the dean of the women senators, for organizing this debate today on an issue that concerns each of us, and that is the growing prices of sexual assault in the military. mr. president, i first raised my concern over the military's inadequate response to the growing crisis of sexual assault nearly ten years ago. i remember it well. it was a hearing before the senate armed services committee in 2004 at which i expressed my growing alarm about the number of sexual assaults in the military and the inadequate response by the leaders of the military to provide adequate care for the survivors and to ensure appropriate punishment for the perpetrators of these reprehensible crimes. in an exchange that i had with general george casey, i stated the military needs to be much more responsive to reports of sexual assault, particularly in the field, and to separate these women and in some cases the male vict
ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. first, i want to commend the senior senator from maryland, the dean of the women senators, for organizing this debate today on an issue that concerns each of us, and that is the growing prices of sexual assault in the military. mr. president, i first raised my concern over the military's inadequate response to the growing crisis of sexual assault nearly ten years ago. i remember it...
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Jul 20, 2013
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erick and on behalf of the supervisor kim and avalos for the late ms. collins >> madam clerk any more business in front of the body. >> that concludes our agenda and a ladies and gentlem - ladi that concludes our agenda we're (applause) >> well, thank you and welcome to california. it's a great place to come and talk about solar energy because we are in the forefront of certainly the rest of the states, probably -- in fact, certainly in the western hemisphere, california is in the lead. and that's important. but being in the lead doesn't mean we've arrived at the goal. got a long way to go and i hope the work you do here, the conversations, the relationships that are formed can help advance the cause of solar energy and renewable energy or generally. back when i was governor the first time, that was a long time ago -- some of you folks weren't even born then -- not too many. i see a few gray hairs here who are hanging around. that was a long time ago, 38 years ago, as a matter of fact. very few people get to be governor 38 years after they first started
erick and on behalf of the supervisor kim and avalos for the late ms. collins >> madam clerk any more business in front of the body. >> that concludes our agenda and a ladies and gentlem - ladi that concludes our agenda we're (applause) >> well, thank you and welcome to california. it's a great place to come and talk about solar energy because we are in the forefront of certainly the rest of the states, probably -- in fact, certainly in the western hemisphere, california is in...
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ms. collins: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: madam president, i just want to second what the chairman of our subcommittee, the senator from washington, said. frankly, we could have done ten amendments today in the time that we were on the floor ready to work through amendments. i know there are many amendments out there and i would encourage our colleagues on both sides of the aisle not to wait till the 11th hour. it's going to be much harder for us to work to accommodate amendments at that point. so tomorrow's the opportunity for people to come to the floor early. we will be here ready to work. thank you,madam president. the presiding officer: the senate is so warned. [laughter] mrs. murray: i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. manchin: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mr. manchin: madam president, i ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without -- we'r
ms. collins: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: madam president, i just want to second what the chairman of our subcommittee, the senator from washington, said. frankly, we could have done ten amendments today in the time that we were on the floor ready to work through amendments. i know there are many amendments out there and i would encourage our colleagues on both sides of the aisle not to wait till the 11th hour. it's going to be much harder for us...
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Feb 13, 2013
02/13
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ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i would ask unanimous consent that proceedings under the call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, william j. kayatta jr. of maine to be united states circuit judge for the first circuit. the presiding officer: under the previous order, there will now be 30 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form. ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, madam president. madam-- thank you, mr. presiden. mr. president, i'm delighted to rise today in strong support of the confirmation of william kayatta of maine to serve on the u.s. court of appeals for the first circuit. mr. kayatta was originally nominated for this position more than a year ago. he was approved by the judiciary committee on a bipartisan vote last april. unfort
ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i would ask unanimous consent that proceedings under the call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, william j. kayatta jr. of maine to be united states circuit judge for the first circuit. the presiding officer: under the previous order, there...
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Apr 25, 2013
04/13
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ms. collins: mr. president, i have an amendment at the desk number 771, offered on behalf of myself and senator kaine and i would ask for its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: is there objection to laying aside the amendment? mr. wyden: reserving the right to object. the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: and, mr. president, i'm only doing it, i would advise my -- my colleagues, who i know feel strongly about it, chairman baucus wanted to be able to address this issue. so that -- that's the purpose of my reservation. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. baucus: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. baucus: mr. president, i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: mr. president, let me express my frustration and dismay over the objection that has been lodged against considering a very reasonable amendment to this bill. this is a
ms. collins: mr. president, i have an amendment at the desk number 771, offered on behalf of myself and senator kaine and i would ask for its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: is there objection to laying aside the amendment? mr. wyden: reserving the right to object. the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: and, mr. president, i'm only doing it, i would advise my -- my colleagues, who i know feel strongly about it, chairman baucus wanted to be able to address...
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Nov 6, 2013
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ms. collins: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: madam president, i rise to commend the senator from ohio for bringing forth this very worthwhile initiative which the senate passed without dissent just about an hour or so ago. his amendment is a very important amendment. what it simply says is that if an organization is exempt from enda for religious reasons, then government cannot turn around and somehow retaliate against this employer based on his claiming or her claiming a legitimate religious exemption as provided by enda, and that means that if the business or organization is entitled to compete for certain grants or contracts from the federal, state or local government, that there cannot be this subtle discrimination against the employer for claiming the religious exemption legitimately conferred upon the business under enda. and i think that's really important. we don't want retaliation or discrimination or unfair treatment on either side, and i really commend senator portman for coming forward with this amendment. i
ms. collins: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: madam president, i rise to commend the senator from ohio for bringing forth this very worthwhile initiative which the senate passed without dissent just about an hour or so ago. his amendment is a very important amendment. what it simply says is that if an organization is exempt from enda for religious reasons, then government cannot turn around and somehow retaliate against this employer based on his...
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ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. first, let me say that i'm very pleased to join with my friend and colleague from new hampshire to speak out against the indiscriminate, meat-ax cuts known in washington as sequestration, that are scheduled to take effect in just two weeks' time. we simply must take action to avoid this self-inflicted harm to our economy and to our national security. but what i find inexplicable is a growing acceptance that sequestration is going to go into effect despite the fact that virtually everyone should concede that across-the-board cuts where we don't set priorities do not make sense. there are good programs that deserve to be preserved. there are programs that have outlived their usefulness and should be eliminated. and then there are programs that could be cut and reduced. but that's not the approach we're taking. we're not going through the budget in a careful way, identifying programs that could be eliminated or reduced; setting priorities and making inv
ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. first, let me say that i'm very pleased to join with my friend and colleague from new hampshire to speak out against the indiscriminate, meat-ax cuts known in washington as sequestration, that are scheduled to take effect in just two weeks' time. we simply must take action to avoid this self-inflicted harm to our economy and to our national security. but what i find inexplicable is...
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ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. first, let me commend the senator from louisiana for his amendment. it would restrict criminals who have been convicted of certain violent or sex crimes from receiving housing assistance through h.u.d.'s public housing choice neighborhood and tenant and project-based section 8 programs. now, public housing authorities and private property owners who provide assistance under these programs are already required under federal law to deny admission or assistance to individuals who are subject to lifetime registration on a sex offender industry under a state program. however, when you move to the next stage, strangely enough, it's discretionary. under current law, prior violent criminal activity may be grounds for the denial of assistance for public housing and the section 8 programs, but it's not required to be grounds to deny that kind of assistance, and that is exactly the point that senator
ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. first, let me commend the senator from louisiana for his amendment. it would restrict criminals who have been convicted of certain violent or sex crimes from receiving housing assistance through h.u.d.'s public housing choice neighborhood and tenant and project-based section 8 programs. now, public housing authorities and private property owners who provide assistance under these...
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Oct 5, 2013
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ms. collins: mr. president, today marks the fifth day of the government shutdown. with each passing day, the consequences grow more severe, more people are affected, and the implications grow far more serious. federal civilian employees working to support our national guard, overhaul our nuclear submarines and analyze the latest terrorist threat are being furloughed, leaving us less safe as a county. now, i understand that this afternoon, secretary hagel, in a response to the letter that the presiding officer and i signed, along with many of our colleagues, is recalling some of those civilian workers. but there are still other implications. disabled veterans who have sacrificed so much for this country are facing delays in the handling of their claims. pregnant women and little children who depend on foods provided by the w.i.c. program are at risk. and vital biomedical research is being disrupted such that even the sickest children cannot enroll in clinical trials at the national institutes of health. and the impact goes beyond these services provided by essential
ms. collins: mr. president, today marks the fifth day of the government shutdown. with each passing day, the consequences grow more severe, more people are affected, and the implications grow far more serious. federal civilian employees working to support our national guard, overhaul our nuclear submarines and analyze the latest terrorist threat are being furloughed, leaving us less safe as a county. now, i understand that this afternoon, secretary hagel, in a response to the letter that the...
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lou: is simply an outrageous thank you for doing what youhi can i know ms. collins from new york, they won general shares shacky fired. >> he is an honorable thegent gentleman but the ice is i getting very sick and.ry, i have already called for the undersecretary of benefits to resign the secretary said he will not make that happen so we will work within the constructo that we have to make sure they have every dollar or personal technology available. it is not a matter to getat t what they ask for because for the last decade the department of veteranss affairs have got everything %-it is just as systematicy issue. lou: hundreds of files. >> all the office is to go to you will see stacks and stacks very little is digitized but when youav separatee from the department of defense to become a veteran they give you a paper trail you need apape health record that follows you. i have been told was the former secretary has suggested and i have not talked to jim about this, hs that he has an idea to give them a chance to get it out and figure it out later. >> i am gr
lou: is simply an outrageous thank you for doing what youhi can i know ms. collins from new york, they won general shares shacky fired. >> he is an honorable thegent gentleman but the ice is i getting very sick and.ry, i have already called for the undersecretary of benefits to resign the secretary said he will not make that happen so we will work within the constructo that we have to make sure they have every dollar or personal technology available. it is not a matter to getat t what...
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Dec 18, 2013
12/13
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ms collins had been ridiculed by critics who point to continue with terror attacks drug cultivation and human rights abuses. iraq war veteran michael kaiser says the phrase hides a decade of pointless conflict mission accomplished on hoosiers by cameron because you know politicians don't really say hey you know that wildly unpopular war that we sent you when your children to live to die in his legs for over a decade. well we messed up but it was all of its own they're not going to say mission accomplished by cameron means that he died three years at colonial exercise that was a total collapse of disaster. due to the arrogance of rich politicians. we thought the kid on a wintery searches for people in afghanistan using the blood of working class people from the united states and from uk for cameron to assert that there has been so called progress against the insurgency there is an absolute fantasy. yet another indication that cameron's victory speech was premature and how that an attack on a nato base in eastern afghanistan but three insurgents and one afghan policeman dead. it's the sec
ms collins had been ridiculed by critics who point to continue with terror attacks drug cultivation and human rights abuses. iraq war veteran michael kaiser says the phrase hides a decade of pointless conflict mission accomplished on hoosiers by cameron because you know politicians don't really say hey you know that wildly unpopular war that we sent you when your children to live to die in his legs for over a decade. well we messed up but it was all of its own they're not going to say mission...
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May 21, 2013
05/13
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ms. collins: madam president, it certainly is ironic at the least. it is an opportunity for the republican house to argue for its budget. i voted against the final version of the senate budget, but i think we should go to conference and work out an agreement and the instructions suggested by the senator from arizona are entirely reasonable. so let's get on with the process. let's do what the american people expect us to do, and that is to negotiate a conference report that then would be brought back to both houses for consideration. and that is what i urge my colleagues to do. thank you, madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i, of course, admire and have for many years now the chairman of the budget committee. she is a renowned senator, she's very, very good at what she does. we're all very proud of her. but we've just heard something here somewhat unusual. we've heard my friend, the senator from arizona who he and i came here 30-some-odd years ago to the congress together, and another outstanding senator, senator col
ms. collins: madam president, it certainly is ironic at the least. it is an opportunity for the republican house to argue for its budget. i voted against the final version of the senate budget, but i think we should go to conference and work out an agreement and the instructions suggested by the senator from arizona are entirely reasonable. so let's get on with the process. let's do what the american people expect us to do, and that is to negotiate a conference report that then would be brought...
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May 9, 2013
05/13
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ms. collins: thank you. mr. president, all over america, concern has been growing that the implementation of obamacare will cause serious damage to our economy and to our health care system. lost wages, soaring insurance rates, more bureaucracy, and less access to care are just some of the adverse consequences that we are beginning to see. there are as many reasons for concern as there are flaws in this ill-advised law. but today i want to focus on just one of the flaws, and that is the affordable care act's definition of a full-time employee. i also will comment on legislation i've introduced to fix this one flaw. my preference, of course, mr. president, would be for us to repeal obamacare and start all over again, taking some of the good features of the law such as the feature that allows young people to stay on their parents' health care policy until age 26, some of the provisions having to do with preventive care, and some of the provisions having to do with preexisting conditions. we should have crafted a b
ms. collins: thank you. mr. president, all over america, concern has been growing that the implementation of obamacare will cause serious damage to our economy and to our health care system. lost wages, soaring insurance rates, more bureaucracy, and less access to care are just some of the adverse consequences that we are beginning to see. there are as many reasons for concern as there are flaws in this ill-advised law. but today i want to focus on just one of the flaws, and that is the...
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Nov 20, 2013
11/13
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ms. collins: mr. president, i'm very pleased to be here on the senate floor with my friend and colleague from minnesota, senator klobuchar, as we introduce an important resolution. this month, mr. president, is national alzheimer's awareness month. alzheimer's is a terrible disease that exacts a tremendous personal and economic toll on both the individual and the family. like many families, mine has experienced the pain of alzheimer's. i know that there is no more helpless feeling than to watch the progression of this devastating disease. it is equally painful to witness the emotional and physical damage inflicted on family caregivers exhausted by an endless series of 36-hour days. moreover, alzheimer's is the only cause of death among the top ten in our nation without a way to prevent it, to cure it, or even to slow its progression. more than five million americans have alzheimer's disease, more than double the number in 1980. based on current projections, as many as 16 million americans over the age
ms. collins: mr. president, i'm very pleased to be here on the senate floor with my friend and colleague from minnesota, senator klobuchar, as we introduce an important resolution. this month, mr. president, is national alzheimer's awareness month. alzheimer's is a terrible disease that exacts a tremendous personal and economic toll on both the individual and the family. like many families, mine has experienced the pain of alzheimer's. i know that there is no more helpless feeling than to watch...
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Oct 8, 2013
10/13
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ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: mr. president, the government shutdown represents a failure to govern and must be brought to an end. disabled veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country are waiting for their claims to be handled. pregnant women and small children are at risk of their w.i.c. benefits not being funded. crucial biomedical research is being disrupted, and the sickest of children are being turned away from clinical trials at the national institutes of health. and the impact goes far beyond the direct consequences for federal employee and the programs that they administer. one has only to look at the impact of the closure of the cadia national park in my state of maine to see the ripple effects on shopkeepers, servers at restaurants, inn owners and others who depend on revenue from these disappointed tourists. and that is why i worked hard to put together a three-point plan to bring this impasse to a speedy end. and i'm very delighted that my friend and colleague from alaska, senator murkowski, has j
ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: mr. president, the government shutdown represents a failure to govern and must be brought to an end. disabled veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country are waiting for their claims to be handled. pregnant women and small children are at risk of their w.i.c. benefits not being funded. crucial biomedical research is being disrupted, and the sickest of children are being turned away from clinical...
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Jun 20, 2013
06/13
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collins collins thank you -- ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. the basic question is why wasn't this individual deported from our country when it was clear that he was no longer in compliance with the requirements of his j-1 visa? instead what happens is he's granted asylum and then later given a green card. i can only take the department's refusal to provide answers as a tacit admission that a flawed asylum process allowed a dangerous man to get into our country on false pretenses and to stay here. that possibility, that likelihood underscores the importance of the two amendments i'm offering. the first of my amendments, numbered 1391, would require that before an individual can be granted asylum, biographic and biometric information about that individual must be checked against the appropriate records and data bases of the federal government, including those maintained by the national counterterrorism center. in addition, this amendment requires that the asylum officer find that the information in those records and data bases supports the appli
collins collins thank you -- ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. the basic question is why wasn't this individual deported from our country when it was clear that he was no longer in compliance with the requirements of his j-1 visa? instead what happens is he's granted asylum and then later given a green card. i can only take the department's refusal to provide answers as a tacit admission that a flawed asylum process allowed a dangerous man to get into our country on false pretenses and to...
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Jun 8, 2013
06/13
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. >> so ms. cass, you agree with me this is a violent crime to sell heroin to another human being, correct? >> absolutely. >> when you hear people and ms. collin is going to disagree say look, we shouldn't be concentrating on the pushers and the deeferls. because it takes two to make the sale and all of that and you say? >> i say loosening the drug laws would create more drug use. and that means more crime. more overdoses. more kids dropping out of school. it wreaks havoc an our country. >> what about giving that harsh mandatory 10 to 20. they are putting a lot of these guys away for a long period of time. does the crime fit the punishment? >> i believe it does. i believe it does. i have a support group of families who have lost children i get calls from moms. you i can't believe the cries. i have never heard sounds like this. >> are they angry with the pushers? >> the first thing they want do is get their hands on the drug dealer. >> i thought that was prevailing wisdom but you disagree with me
. >> so ms. cass, you agree with me this is a violent crime to sell heroin to another human being, correct? >> absolutely. >> when you hear people and ms. collin is going to disagree say look, we shouldn't be concentrating on the pushers and the deeferls. because it takes two to make the sale and all of that and you say? >> i say loosening the drug laws would create more drug use. and that means more crime. more overdoses. more kids dropping out of school. it wreaks...
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Dec 7, 2013
12/13
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ms. i'm with you, bill, government can't fix everything, but what the government can do -- >> so, you're agreeing that the government can't fix that and it's going to go on -- >> it could be helpful in education reform, bill. more than just money. >> eboni, dennis, thanks. >>> lou dobbs will react to the debate and the plight of working americans in everyone. >>> later, thoughts on chris christie being named boss of the year. "factor's" coming right back. [ male announcer ] research suggests cell health plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+. bob will retire when he's 153, which would be fine if bob were a vampire. but he's not. ♪ he's an architect with two kids and a mortgage. luckily, he found someone who gave him a fresh perspective on his portfolio. and with some planning and effort, hopefully bob can retire at a more appropriat
ms. i'm with you, bill, government can't fix everything, but what the government can do -- >> so, you're agreeing that the government can't fix that and it's going to go on -- >> it could be helpful in education reform, bill. more than just money. >> eboni, dennis, thanks. >>> lou dobbs will react to the debate and the plight of working americans in everyone. >>> later, thoughts on chris christie being named boss of the year. "factor's" coming right...
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Nov 14, 2013
11/13
by
CSPAN2
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ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, thousands of mainers are receiving notices that their health insurance is being canceled due to obamacare. this past weekend i talked with mark pendergas, the owner of a small landscaping company who just found out that the premiums for his small business plan will jump by 54% next year due to obamacare. he can't pay that and stay competitive. and his workers can't afford it either. their share of the premium will go up by $740 next year. mark's worried that they'll simply drop their coverage and pay the fine instead. mark and his workers are not the only mainers hurt by obamacare. mrs. beatrice logan of cape elizabeth, maine, e-mailed me to express her deep concern that her family is facing an increase in their deductible from $4,500 to $12,000. moreover, she's being told that they may not be able to continue with the health care team at boston's children's hospital that has provided a lifetime of excellent care to her 19-year-old son
ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, thousands of mainers are receiving notices that their health insurance is being canceled due to obamacare. this past weekend i talked with mark pendergas, the owner of a small landscaping company who just found out that the premiums for his small business plan will jump by 54% next year due to obamacare. he can't pay that and stay competitive. and his workers can't...
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Sep 11, 2013
09/13
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ms. collins: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, madam president. madam president, 12 years ago, al qaeda terrorists attacked our homeland, quilg nearl killing n0 people. i will never forget the heroes of that day, many of whom laid down their lives for others. their courage is epitomized by the words spoken by a fire department captain at the world trade center. he radioed in to say, "we're still heading up." indeed, these firefighters were still heading up while others were fleeing the flames and the acrid smoke. where that kind of courage and determination comes from is hard to contemplate, but we're so grateful that our first responders have that kind of dedication and courage. florida i ever forget the many people -- nor will i ever forget the many people who continued to live with scars. whether they are civilians who lost a loved one that day, firefighters or police officers or other first responders who rushed to the scene, or our brave military service members who answered the call to defend our country
ms. collins: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, madam president. madam president, 12 years ago, al qaeda terrorists attacked our homeland, quilg nearl killing n0 people. i will never forget the heroes of that day, many of whom laid down their lives for others. their courage is epitomized by the words spoken by a fire department captain at the world trade center. he radioed in to say, "we're still heading up." indeed, these...
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Dec 7, 2013
12/13
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ms. i'm with you, bill, government can't fix everything, but what the government can do -- >> so, you're agreeing that the government can't fix that and it's going to go on -- >> it could be helpful in education reform, bill. more than just money. >> eboni, dennis, thanks. >>> lou dobbs will react to the debate and the plight of working americans in everyone. >>> later, thoughts on chris christie being named boss of the year. "factor's" coming right back. [ coughs, sneezes ] i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] oh. what a relief it is. that's the sound of car insunce companies these days. here a cheap, there a cheap. everywhere a cheap... you get it. so what if instead ofjust a cheachoice, you could make a smart choice? like esurance for example they were born online
ms. i'm with you, bill, government can't fix everything, but what the government can do -- >> so, you're agreeing that the government can't fix that and it's going to go on -- >> it could be helpful in education reform, bill. more than just money. >> eboni, dennis, thanks. >>> lou dobbs will react to the debate and the plight of working americans in everyone. >>> later, thoughts on chris christie being named boss of the year. "factor's" coming right...
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Apr 26, 2013
04/13
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collins -- ms. collins: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: madam president, i'm delighted that the senate has just passed a bipartisan bill to resolve a serious problem confronting the american traveling public and our economy. i want to thank the majority leader, senator reid; the minority leader, the republican leader, senator mcconnell; and all the staff who have worked so hard to make this half. i'm very pleased to be joined in sponsoring this bill by many of our colleagues, including senator rockefeller, senator thune, senator mark udall, senator risch, senator roberts, senator isaacson, senator mccaskill, senator hagan, the presiding officer, senator toomey, senator murkowski, senator warner, senator begich, senator nelson and senator heller. as the ranking member of the transportation appropriations committee, i've been very concerned about the serious delaying that have been caused by the f.a.a. furloughs of the air traffic controllers. in fact, secretary of transportation lahood and f.a.a. administrator heurta met with me th
collins -- ms. collins: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: madam president, i'm delighted that the senate has just passed a bipartisan bill to resolve a serious problem confronting the american traveling public and our economy. i want to thank the majority leader, senator reid; the minority leader, the republican leader, senator mcconnell; and all the staff who have worked so hard to make this half. i'm very pleased to be joined in sponsoring this bill...
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Jun 18, 2013
06/13
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ms. collins: thank you, madam president. i ask unanimous consent that proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: thank you, madam president. madam president, i rise this evening to discuss an amendment that i've filed to the immigration bill. it's senate amendment 12 1255. it would ensure that the funding for an important border security program known as operation stone garden continues to be allocated by the department of homeland security based on risk. without my amendment, 90% of the $50 million in funding for this program awarded annually would be earmarked for the southwest border. what i'm proposing is that we not put a percentage in the bill but, rather, allow for a rick-based assessment of where operation stone garden moneys would best be -- risk-based assessment of where operation stone garden moneys would best be spent. this operation has been extraordinarily successful in my state of maine. it has helped federal, county, state and local law enforcem
ms. collins: thank you, madam president. i ask unanimous consent that proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: thank you, madam president. madam president, i rise this evening to discuss an amendment that i've filed to the immigration bill. it's senate amendment 12 1255. it would ensure that the funding for an important border security program known as operation stone garden continues to be allocated by the department of...
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Mar 4, 2013
03/13
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ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, let me begin my remarks by thanking the distinguished chairman of the judiciary committee for his very gracious comments and for his extraordinary leadership on a bill that i believe can bring all of us together. i also want to thank our other cosponsors of the bill, particularly senator gillibrand who has had a great interest in cracking down on the practice of straw purchasing. mr. president, the practice of straw purchasing is intended to achieve one result and one result only, and that is to put a gun in the hands of an individual who is prohibited from owning a gun. these individuals under current law are easily exploiting the weak federal laws to obtain firearms. these guns are frequently sold, resold and trafficking across state lines resulting in the proliferation of illegal firearms in our communities. straw purchasing and gun trafficking put guns in the hands of criminals. according to the a.t.f., of the nearly 94,000 firearm
ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, let me begin my remarks by thanking the distinguished chairman of the judiciary committee for his very gracious comments and for his extraordinary leadership on a bill that i believe can bring all of us together. i also want to thank our other cosponsors of the bill, particularly senator gillibrand who has had a great interest in cracking down on the practice of straw...
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Jun 18, 2013
06/13
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CNBC
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what's going to happen, ms. collins? >> the appropriations committee has been meeting this week and we have been reporting bills out on a bipartisan basis. what i think's going to happen is starting next week as these bills come before the full committee there will be a dispute over how much the total spending for discretionary money should be. there's the difference of between $966 billion in the republican plan and $1.58 trillion in the democratic plan. so we're going to have to reconcile that, but i'm still holding out hope that we're going to come together and come up with a long-term plan for a budget and that means addressing the entire budget, not just the 36% that's under the jurisdiction of the appropriations committee. >> that's very ambitious. i hope you're right. i say this, senator casey, so far the president has been very firm on this. a lot of people say i'm not worried about the debt ceiling. that doesn't come up until way later in the year, but do we have to go to the tipping resolutions, threat of a gov
what's going to happen, ms. collins? >> the appropriations committee has been meeting this week and we have been reporting bills out on a bipartisan basis. what i think's going to happen is starting next week as these bills come before the full committee there will be a dispute over how much the total spending for discretionary money should be. there's the difference of between $966 billion in the republican plan and $1.58 trillion in the democratic plan. so we're going to have to...
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Oct 11, 2013
10/13
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CNBC
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ms. collins, as always, it's terrific to see you. thank you very much for doing this. can i just ask you, how is the mood in that room? was there cooperation with president obama? what did you take away from it? >> well, first of all, i'm glad that the president finally sat down for a long overdue meeting with senate republicans. i really felt that he should have done this long ago before we got into this terrible situation. and reached this impasse. the mood of the meeting was somber but respectful. i think it was a constructive meeting. but there certainly wasn't any breakthrough. nevertheless, i think it's really important that finally the president was willing to negotiate since previously he had said that he would not do so. >> can i ask, it sounds to me -- it's very important. sounds to me like the republican party in both the house and the senate are now coming around to the view that the debt ceiling must be increased and that the government must be reopened. now, when we started this negotiation, so to speak, 24, 48 hours in the house, they were talking about
ms. collins, as always, it's terrific to see you. thank you very much for doing this. can i just ask you, how is the mood in that room? was there cooperation with president obama? what did you take away from it? >> well, first of all, i'm glad that the president finally sat down for a long overdue meeting with senate republicans. i really felt that he should have done this long ago before we got into this terrible situation. and reached this impasse. the mood of the meeting was somber but...
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Jul 23, 2013
07/13
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ms. collins: mr. president, i'm pleased to join chairman murray as we begin floor consideration of the fiscal year 2014 appropriations bill for the departments of transportation, housing and urban development and related agencies. mr. president, this return to regular order in which appropriations bills are considered individually with the opportunity for full debate, for members to come to the floor and offer their amendments is welcome indeed. and like senator murray, i want to commend the two leaders of our appropriations committee: senator mikulski, the chair; and senator shelby, the ranking member, for their commitment to returning to regular order. we simply must stop the irresponsible practice of waiting until the 11th hour and then producing a bundled bill totaling thousands of pages with little or no opportunity for truly careful deliberation and debate. i want to thank our subcommittee chairman for working re -- working very closely with me to craft this bipartisan bill. she has been a treme
ms. collins: mr. president, i'm pleased to join chairman murray as we begin floor consideration of the fiscal year 2014 appropriations bill for the departments of transportation, housing and urban development and related agencies. mr. president, this return to regular order in which appropriations bills are considered individually with the opportunity for full debate, for members to come to the floor and offer their amendments is welcome indeed. and like senator murray, i want to commend the...
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Apr 17, 2013
04/13
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ms. collins: thank you, madam president. madam president, i rise today to discuss the background check amendment proposed by our colleagues, senator manchin and senator toomey. madam president, i grew up in northern maine where responsible gun ownership is part of the heritage of virtually every family. in fact, i can't think of a family in my hometown of caribou that did not have firearms in their homes when i was growing up, and that includes my own family. i strongly support our second amendment rights and two recent supreme court decisions in district of columbia v. heller and mcdonald v. chicago make clear that those constitutional rights pertain to the individual. as we have studied this important issue during the past several months, i have met with countless people who hold a wide range of views. they include the sportsmen's alliance of maine, known as s.a.m., maine's law enforcement officials, the n.r.a., victims of gun violence, licensed gun dealers, firearms manufacturers, mental health professionals, and school s
ms. collins: thank you, madam president. madam president, i rise today to discuss the background check amendment proposed by our colleagues, senator manchin and senator toomey. madam president, i grew up in northern maine where responsible gun ownership is part of the heritage of virtually every family. in fact, i can't think of a family in my hometown of caribou that did not have firearms in their homes when i was growing up, and that includes my own family. i strongly support our second...